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Liga Mundo Season 20
Liga Mundo Season 20 ran from July 3, 2014 to November 1, 2014. During the pre-season, the league saw the return of two former managers and clubs on June 21, 2014: Karachi United FC was relocated to Syracuse and renamed the Syracuse Salty Dogs - the third incarnation of the team in Liga Mundo - while the short-lived Clube Atlético Santos (former Arcadia FC) was taken over by new ownership headed by Rob26480 which then moved the Original Four club to Melloria for a re-birth of Atlético Melloria. League membership stayed at 27 teams as the Antarctican Polar Bears joined the league as an expansion club on June 22, 2014 while Southside FC were disbanded by the league on June 24, 2014 prior to the start of the season. Norway Doges relocated to Madrid and renamed Spain on June 26, 2014. On June 28, 2014 the three divisions were renamed slightly to LM Primera Liga, LM Segunda Liga, and LM Tercera Liga. Due to poor voting participation by the league managers, this was the last League MVP decided by manager vote. Starting the following season, the commissioner would select the league MVP along with the divisional MVPs. Final Standings Regular Season LM Primera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM Segunda Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM Tercera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team Costa Libertad Trophy (Team of the Month) The Costa Libertad Trophy for the Liga Mundo Team of the Month was inaugurated on June 1, 2012 as a team achievement award for all Liga Mundo teams. The trophy is named in honour of the former Cybernation Costa Libertad - which was the home of Liga Mundo's founder PremierApex. Retirements & Departures *'Arthur Basso' (VolNation Volunteers) midfielder, aged 36 - The first junior prospect signed by VolNation Volunteers, Basso played 20 seasons with the club - one of only three players at this date to reach that milestone in all of Liga Mundo. He retired the all-time leader for career matches played with 373 regular-season and cup matches under his belt. His all-round ability in the midfielded paired with a blistering shot ensured that he retired as VolNation’s all-time points leader with 143 goals and 107 assists for 250 points. He was named 207 times to X11 teams. He finished 2nd in goals (10) in the Primera Liga for Season 12 and two other seasons finished third for goals. Three times he led the Primera Liga for assists and 7 times he finished in the top-three for points leaders. His best seasons were Season 10 when he scored 15 goals and Season 6 when he scored 24 points. *'Bodo Kreuzer' (Rivendell FC / Dendarii FC / Irlande / Dynamo Dorpat) forward, aged 37 - Possessing sharp wits combined with a hard, accurate shot and commanding ability with heading the air balls, Bodo Kreuzer had one of the most remarkable playing careers in Liga Mundo. During the coruse of his 17 seasons, he survived the off-field chaos of 4 management changes and 3 team name-changes in the span of 4 seasons before settling down in Dorpat half-way through Season 7. He signed at the tail-end of Season 3 with Rivendell FC on September 1, 2008. In his first full season in Liga Mundo, Kreuzer won the first of 4 Golden Boot Awards. He would repeat the achievement in Season 12, 13, and 15 - the only player so far in Liga Mundo to win it more than twice and the first player to win it back-to-back. Season 12 would see Bodo Kreuzer voted winner the Lois Luis League MVP Trophy by the league managers, clearly the favourite by beating out his closest challenger with 73% of the votes. He appeared in his 100th match during Season 9 on October 7, 2010 while his 200th match came during Season 14 and his 300th career match in Season 19. Kreuzer’s final career statistical totals are 319 career matches, 238 goals and 39 assists for 277 points, and 99 X11 team selections; his 238 goals were a Liga Mundo record at the time of his retirement on November 1, 2014. His goal-scoring ability saw him amass a wealth of league merits: along with his 4 Golden Boots to lead Liga Mundo, he was the leading goal-scorer twice in the Primera Liga and three-times in the Segunda Liga with three other seasons finishing in second-place for goals. Kreuzer also led the Segunda Liga for points twice and once also in the Primera Liga. *'Emmanuel Hörtnagl' (Transvaal Springboks)- midfielder, aged 37. - He joined the club in in the final weeks of Season 4 and played the next few seasons as a regular substitute. Probably the best-ever two-way player in Transvaal football, Hörtnagl was adept in all positions and his cool character under pressure made him one of the critical 'go-to' playmakers along with Stien van Buyten. He made the Primera Liga all-star team in Season 7. 'Emms' Hörtnagl played his 100th match on August 18, 2011 during Season 11. He scored the Springboks' 500th regular season goal on March 28, 2013 during a 4-2 loss to the VolNation Volunteers. During Season 17, Hörtnagl scored his 100th point on June 6, 2013 when he picked up two assists during the Springboks' 3-0 win against Clachnacuddin. He also played in his 200th match that same season on August 19, 2013. The wear and tear of the game started to catch up with him in Season 18, which saw him suffer through an endless chain of major and minor injuries which hampered his performance throughout the season - with major injuries continuing into Season 19 as he missed 58 days stuck on the sidelines from mid-October 2013 onwards. On April 21, 2014, during the first leg of the Copa Cato XII Finals in Season 19, Hörtnagl scored the club's first goal in a cup final match - the goal was also his 50th career tally. Despite the mounting injuries, he still managed to pull off one of his stronger campaigns that season. Hörtnagl was moved to the reserves at the start of Season 20 after he announced that it would be his final playing season. At the time of his retirement on November 1, 2014, after 17 seasons playing in Liga Mundo, Emmanuel Hörtnagl was ranked 4th in career games played for the Springboks with 251. He finished 5th in goals (54), 3rd in assists (66), and tied in 3rd place with Balthazar Botha with 120 career points scored. *'Dario Sablone' (Swamplandia Sinners) goalkeeper, aged 39 years - This master of shutting down the one-on-one breakways signed with Swamplandia in Season 5 and helped lead the Sinners to three Liga Mundo championship in a 5-season span between Season 7 and Season 11. He appeared in over 200 matches between Season 5 and Season 19 - his last active season. He was retained on reserves by Swamplandia for Season 20 but did not take to the field at all in what would be his final season in Liga Mundo. He retired with a career 65% save average - with his best seasons coming in Season 7 and Season 18 when he had a 70% average. *'Orlan López' (Compostella Artois / Guajolotes) forward, aged 34 - On a club that has traditionally relied on the defence and midfield to win games, Orlan López was the man who provided many of the goals during the early days of Compostella Artois. He signed with the club in Season 7 and appeared in 35 matches for Compostella. At the start of Season 9, when the team was transferred to New Kauai Athletic Park and became the Guajolotes, López was retained by the new management to provide some roster continuity and quiet stability as the team began its rise towards the Primera Liga. López led all fowards on the club with his 202 career matches and 63 goals, 2nd amongst forwards behind Marcial Ozores who surpassed him in later seasons. He also chalked up 27 assists to give him a career total of 90 points. *'Aidan McGowan' (Debate Land Orators) midfielder, aged 36 - An all-rounded midfielder, McGowan played 13 seasons with the club from the time of its inception in Season 8 until the conclusion of Season 20. He was 2nd in the team records for career matches (227). The leading midfielder for the Orators, he placed 3rd in goals (32) and 2nd in points (79) for overall team scoring. *'Gennady Protasov' (Dynamo Dorpat) - midfielder, aged 36. Protasov played 13 seasons with Dorpat from when he was signed off transfers in Season 8 until his retirement at the conclusion of Season 20. At the time of his retirement, he was the club's all-time leader in assists (84) and X11 team selections (133) and finished ranked 3rd in career matches with 281 games played. He scored 52 goals and 136 points, finishing 5th and 4th respectively in those categories in the club's all-time record book. Protasov's best seasons were Season 11 and Season 17 when he scored a career-high 17 points. *'Obi Wan Kicknobi' (The Fighting Sherms) goalkeeper, aged 41 - Appearing in 92 games for The Fighting Sherms, Kicknobi's claim to fame in Liga Mundo is becoming the oldest player to take to the field in a match, when at age 40 he started in 2 matches during Season 20 for the Sherms - the only 40-year-old to ever actively play in the league. He retired at the conclusion of Season 20 with 18 clean sheets and a 64% career save average. *'Ayo Mabukwu' (Guajolotes) fullback, aged 34 - An unheralded fixture on the Guajolotes defensive lines, Mabukwu played in 151 games over the duration of 11 seasons starting in Season 10. *'Francisco Gonçalves' (AFC Merry Men) - fullback, aged 34. Smart with the air balls, Gonçalves played in 68 games for the club, notching 2 goals and 5 points during his 6-season career which started in Season 15. *'Mircea Hogas' (Estrella Roja) midfielder, aged 33 - Known amongst La Roja faithful for being an intelligent midfield general, Hogas played in 6 seasons for Estrella Roja from Season 15 through into Season 20. He played in 64 matches and scored 9 goals and 18 assists. *'Jan-Åke Qvick' (Estrella Roja) forward, aged 34. He signed with Estrella Roja in Season 10 and appeared in 110 career games during his 11 seasons with the club. Armed with keen goal sense around the crease, he scored 32 goals and 39 points. He played in his 100th match during his final campaign in Liga Mundo. He best season was his final campaign in Liga Mundo when he scored a career-high 6 goals. *'Bill Hendricks' (Plymouth City FC) fullback, aged 35 - He played in 80 matches over 5 seasons for Plymouth City FC, scoring 5 goals and 13 points. *'Colm Rosslare' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs / Skagafjörður Nords AFC) fullback, aged 36 - An original member with Dun Carrig Bohs when they joined Liga Mundo in Season 5, Rosslare played in a record 264 matches for the club. He scored 11 goals and 33 assists during his entire career spent with the franchise. *'Kelly Dun Laoghaire' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs / Skagafjörður Nords AFC) forward, aged 33 - Laoghaire was promoted from the junior ranks in Season 6 and appeared in 222 matches. He led the club in scoring with 78 goals and 100 points. *'Luke Keane' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs / Skagafjörður Nords AFC) midfielder, aged 31 - promoted from junior team in Season 7 and played in 219 games. An intelligent field general on the field, Keane scored 27 goals and 75 points during his career. *'Eamonn Yeats' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs / Skagafjörður Nords AFC) fullback, aged 31 - Fast and with fortitude, Yeats was promoted from the junior team in Season 8 and played in 215 matches. He scored 9 goals and 29 points. *'Vito Marchionni' (Dun Carrig Bohs / Pansy Prussians / Syracuse Salty Dogs / Skagafjörður Nords AFC) goalkeeper - Marchionni was signed by Dun Carrig Bohs in Season 7 for $5,357,200. he would appear in 214 matches as the franchise's leading goalkeeper. He had 66% save average and 49 X11 team selectons during his career. Unusual for a goalkeeper, he also was credited with 3 assists from taking freekicks early in his career. League MVP Billy Warnock (Nordheim Badgers FC) and Kyle Thorpe (RMI Armed Forces FC) finished tied in MVP voting by the league managers and shared the Lois Luis MVP trophy this season. Due to poor voting participation by the league managers, this was the last League MVP decided by manager vote. Starting the following season, the commissioner would select the league MVP along with the divisional MVPs. All-Liga Mundo All-Star Team Career Milestones 300 games *'Yashar Ahmadi' (Guajolotes) - played 300th match on September 29, 2014 *'Lincoln Key' (Guajolotes) - played 300th match on October 16, 2014 200 games *'Darrell Spheeris' (Templar United) - played 200th match on July 28, 2014 *'Eamonn Yeats' (Skagafjörður Nords AFC) - played 200th match on July 28, 2014 *'Vito Marchionni' (Skagafjörður Nords AFC) - played 200th match on August 7, 2014 *'Alejo Moisés' (Marseille FC) - played 200th match on August 14, 2014 *'Jean Pierre Mons' (Guajolotes) - played 200th match on August 21, 2014 *'Lance Quinn' (Swamplandia Sinners) - played 200th match on September 25, 2014 *'Josh Sampson' (RMI Armed Forces FC) - played 200th match on September 29, 2014 *'Pedro Townsend' (VolNation Volunteers) - played 200th match on October 9, 2014 Manager of the Season Manager Runningcow, the manager of Guajolotes, joined the ranks of a select six when he was officially named the Liga Mundo Manager of the Season by Commissioner Botha. Joining previous Manager Award winners MudBug (Swamplandia Sinners), Cyphon88 (Templar Forsworn), St6mm (Dynamo Dorpat), Reichlep (VolNation Volunteers), and Arcadian_Empire (former Arcadia FC), Runningcow is just the sixth manager to take home the prestigious award in its 14-season history. Instituted during Season 7, the Manager of the Season award rankings are based on X11 Manager point totals accumulated during the regular season for each round of matches - with Primera managers earning 3 points per X11 Manager selection, Segunda managers 2 points, and Tercera managers 1 point. Previous to Season 20, all ties for the Award were decided by manager vote; starting in Season 20, ties in the rankings were decided by overall league placement. SEASON 20 MANAGER RANKINGS *Guajolotes = 12 (Liga Mundo & Primera Manager of the Season) *Templar United = 12 *Ocean´s Gold = 12 *Atlético Melloria = 10 (Segunda Manager of the Season) *Dynamo Dorpat = 9 *AFC Merry Men = 9 (Tercera Manager of the Season) *Nordheim Badgers FC = 6 *Clachnacuddin = 6 *Plymouth City FC = 4 *The Fighting Sherms = 4 *River Plate = 4 *Swamplandia Sinners = 3 *TNFR Twilight Titans FC = 3 *Bethlehem FC = 2 *Ashie Road 11 = 2 *Debate Land Orators = 2 *Gopher City Pippas FC = 2 *Syracuse Salty Dogs = 2 *FC Konkrage = 1 *RMI Armed Forces FC = 1 Copa Cato XIII First Round Matches played on July 7 and July 14, 2014 *Ocean´s Gold defeated Antarctican Polar Bears (4-0; 5-1) *FC Konkrage defeated VolNation Volunteers (4-0; 1-1) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (1-0; 4-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated TNFR Twilight Titans FC (4-2; 6-0) *Skagafjörður Nords AFC defeated Syracuse Salty Dogs (6-1; 0-0) *Templar United defeated AFC Merry Men (0-0; 2-0) *Atlético Melloria defeated Bethlehem FC (3-0; 2-0) *Estrella Roja defeated Ashie Road 11 (1-2; 2-0) *Clachnacuddin defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (3-0; 2-0) *River Plate defeated Spain (7-0; 6-0) *Plymouth City FC defeated Debate Land Orators (6-0; 1-1) Second Round Matches played on July 21 and July 28, 2014 *Guajolotes defeated Plymouth City FC (4-2; 3-0) *Nordheim Badgers FC defeated River Plate (0-1; 2-0) *Clachnacuddin defeated The Fighting Sherms (4-0; 0-1) *Marseille FC defeated Estrella Roja (2-0; 2-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Atlético Melloria (2-0; 4-2) *Ocean´s Gold defeated Templar United (1-0; 1-0) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Transvaal Springboks (4-1; 4-2) *Skagafjörður Nords AFC defeated FC Konkrage (2-0; 2-0) Quarter-Finals Matches played on August 4 and August 11, 2014 *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Guajolotes (1-2; 4-1) *Nordheim Badgers FC defeated Skagafjörður Nords AFC (4-0; 3-0) *Marseille FC defeated Swamplandia Sinners (5-2; 1-4) *Clachnacuddin defeated Ocean´s Gold (2-0; 2-1) Semi-Finals Matches played on August 18 and August 25, 2014 *Nordheim Badgers FC defeated Clachnacuddin (2-4; 2-0) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Marseille FC (1-0; 4-0) Copa Cato XIII Finals Matches played on September 1 and September 8, 2014 *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (0-0; 5-2) UCFA Champions Cup III First Round Matches played on September 22, 2014 *Marseille FC defeated Syracuse Salty Dogs (2-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Plymouth City FC (3-1) *Atlético Melloria defeated Debate Land Orators (4-0) *Ashie Road 11 defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (2-0) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (2-2 6-5 PK) *Transvaal Springboks defeated AFC Merry Men (2-1 ET) *VolNation Volunteers defeated Ocean´s Gold (3-1) *Guajolotes defeated Estrella Roja (4-0) *RMI Armed Forces FC defeated Antarctican Polar Bears (3-0) *Bethlehem FC defeated Templar United (0-0 7-6 PK) *River Plate defeated Spain (7-0) Second Round Matches played on September 29, 2014 *Ashie Road 11 defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (5-1) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Skagafjörður Nords AFC (1-0) *Clachnacuddin defeated River Plate (3-0) *Guajolotes defeated Dynamo Dorpat (3-1) *The Fighting Sherms defeated TNFR Twilight Titans FC (2-1 ET) *VolNation Volunteers defeated FC Konkrage (3-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Marseille FC (2-0) *Atlético Melloria defeated Bethlehem FC (4-0) Quarter-Finals Matches played on October 6, 2014 *Clachnacuddin defeated Guajolotes (3-2 ET) *VolNation Volunteers defeated Atlético Melloria (2-1) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Ashie Road 11 (3-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated The Fighting Sherms (2-0) Semi-Finals Matches played on October 13, 2014 *Clachnacuddin defeated Swamplandia Sinners (2-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated VolNation Volunteers (5-2) Cup Finals Match played on October 20, 2014 *Transvaal Springboks defeated Clachnacuddin (2-0) Challenge Cup competitions Inverness Cup IV Friendly matches played on September 1 and September 8, 2014 *Clachnacuddin defeated Ashie Road (0-1; 3-1) AUGUST 31, 2014 - Inverness Cup - First Leg Ashie Road 1; Clachnacuddin 0 Ahead of the first leg of the Inverness Cup, Saturday night in the city centre saw running battles between Clach and Ashie Road fans. A gang of drunken Ashie fans are reported to have started the trouble, hurling insults and bottles at a group of 8 year old boys skateboarding in Lidls carpark, this gang were chased back to Lochardil where a pitched battle resulted in 86 year old Mrs Lamont from Drumdevon Road getting her gladiolus snapped, a gift from her favourite niece Elaine. Police Scotland's Chief Inspector Fanny said "These idiots have no respect for people's property, Mrs Lamont is extremely upset, when we catch the perpetrator we will shoot him in the face, I mean, what is the point in carrying side-arms when we never get to use them." SEPTEMBER 7, 2014 - Inverness Cup - Second Leg Clachnacuddin 3; Ashie Road 1 On the eve of the second leg of the Inverness Cup and trailing 1-0, Clachnacuddin manager Wigham was shocked when he read these comments from Ashie Road manager ROLFADDICT: "Manager of the moment Rolfaddict was effusive in his praise for his team saying "We'd prepared like lions, started like panthers and frightened the flamingos among that Clach lot. In truth they were like teddybears in the end. How Wigham was given that award ( manager of the month ) is beyond me, he's boss-eyed and has several convictions for Loitering. I'll leave you to make your minds up what that is! Roll on the second leg!" Whigam replied: "That fool is well aware that my "boss-eyes " are caused by severe hay fever, I don't think it is clever to make fun of something a person is born with, I mean I never mention his tiny penis, as for the loitering convictions they are a grave miss-carriage of justice, I am sure lots of people have practiced meditation , how was I to know I was standing outside the staff entrance of Hooters? My lawyer was a jerk. Be sure of one thing, my team are primed and ready to sweep aside Ashie Road in the second leg, I will not be shaking hands with any of their back-room staff whatever the result, I hope their next shite is a porcupine. " SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 - Outrage! An open top bus parade in Merkinch, Inverness was today disrupted by the antics of a drunken bum trying to spoil the party. Clachnacuddin were displaying the Inverness cup after sweeping aside the futile efforts of Ashie Road 11 in their 1-3 second leg victory. As the bus approached their Grant Street stadium, a man threw himself in the road, he was clearly intoxicated and began to hurl incoherent abuse at the Clach team, his trousers soaked in urine, he managed to throw an empty bottle of buckfast at the bus as the police wrestled him to the ground. Onlookers were horrified when they realised it was Ashie Rd manager ROLFADDICT who was the perpetrator, he was last seen salivating and sobbing like a wee bairn in the back of the cop car. Clachnacuddin manager Wigham said - "What an outrage, how low will that man sink in his bitter envy of our superior team? I actually feel sorry for him, he will NEVER win back this trophy, he should resign, it's the only decent thing to do." Press Releases & Previews NOVEMBER 4, 2014 - VolNation Basso Reminisces, Part 1 In a season where uber-players like Gennadi Protasov and Bodo Kreuzer and long-term names like Emmanuel Hörtnagl hung up their cleats, VolNation said good-bye to their ironman midfielder Arthur Basso. Basso first came to the Mighty Vols days after the club's founding as their first youth league prospect, a 17/4 midfielder who had long range power. On the starting roster for VolNation's very first match, Basso saw good action every season from then on, increasing rapidly through the ranks and becoming effectively a starter in the 3rd season. Basso was a consistent player, making good on opportunities, but lingering in the shadow of his more flamboyant, headline-making teammates Ian Robertson and Chad Goodwin. In Season 6, he started to make his mark with his precision passing to the two aforementioned forwards, becoming a key playmaker to their exploits. This precision passing, though, only served to be a warning that Basso's accurate foot might be used for other exploits. Season 7 saw a new level in Basso's importance, as he became the assistant captain to Ian Robertson and the acknowledged leader of the VolNation midfield. That season and the next, Basso started to add a deft ranged scoring touch and freekicking prowess to his noted abilities as a passer. However, Season 9 was a watershed season for Basso as he burst onto the stage in a big way. Starting with Basso's hat trick against Transvaal and the start of a epic rivalry with the Springbok's mercurial star midfielder Detlef Botha, the VolNation "Big 2" of Robertson and Goodwin added a third name, Basso. While Basso's start was beginning to shine brightly, other events were happening in the VolNation clubhouse. Many of the original squad were drawing to the end of their careers, and a new crop of youngsters were rising up to take their place. In the midst of that transition, the one key ingredient remained in place, the glue named Basso. In that time, Goodwin departed to be replaced by Rudolf Fäste and Pedro Townsend. Longtime midfielder Darnell Roberson left to have his place filled by Michael Pitts and Kayode Giwa. Christopher "Penalty Killer Jr." Rojas succeeded Oscar "Penalty Killer" Sorgard, and the Mighty Vols were preparing for their greatest run yet in the Liga Mundo. Under Basso's hand in Season 12, the Mighty Vols overcame a disasterous start of the season losing the majority of their midfield to injury in the first three matches of the season. It was just the test that the Mighty Vols needed to come together as a team with, and Basso led the Mighty Vols to the title that season, and then the next, and then the next and then the next. During that time, the team became Basso's, and Basso was the face of the team. Basso's tenure at that time led the Mighty Vols to 5 titles in 6 season, a feat that may never in the history of the Liga be repeated. And now, Season 20 has come to a close and Basso must finally relinquish his team to another. But there will never be another Basso. Basso leaves the team with 9 league titles and 9 cup titles, more than any other player in Liga history in both accounts. The Ironman leaves the field having 373 caps, most ever by a large margin. He collected 250 points, eclipsing Ian Robertson's club mark of 234, with 143 goals and 107 assists (most alltime assist leader in Liga history) showing that his versatility was beyond measure. His reputation as a squeaky-clean player was well earned with no career red cards and only averaging 1 yellow a season. He collected 207 X-11 nods and 61 X-11 captaincies as a further testament to his value in the Liga. NOVEMBER 4, 2014 - VolNation Basso Reminisces, Part 2 The VolNation Torchbearer got an exclusive interview with Arthur Basso after his last match, in which he got 5 shots on goal. VT: Congratulations Mr. Basso on the best career one could ever hope for. Thoughts on your last match? Basso: 5 shots on goal? Didn't know my legs still had that amount in them. Seriously, I think my teammates were simply passing me the ball every time, hoping I'd get a good touch. VT: It is not always that you get to interview one of the best players ever, maybe even the best. When you started, did you ever think that you would be one of those players? ?Basso: Absolutely no. Remember, I started a green kid playing under the great ones; those players that already had a significant reputation when the Liga started. I was simply at the right place at the right time. Think of who I got to watch and study under: Sid McCormick, the season 1 assist leader and the most accurate passer I have ever seen; Zachary Great, the original Mr. Versatility; Dustin Conner, who was so tough a brick wall would back down if he charged it; Joey Lehmann, the man who worked hard at doing all the little things that allowed us to keep the ball long enough for someone to break free; and Darnell Roberson, my personal hero, who showed me what it would take to play productively forever. I simply borrowed from each of these greats to become what I became. VT: I know this might be hard, but who was the best player that you played against? Basso: (laughing) Since I have played against them all, that can’t be a daunting task, is it? Seriously, how do I choose? I guess Lulu from ALDM was the most talented player I faced off, and those Rumble in the Jungles were simply on another plane in terms of matchups. However, Detlef Botha from Transvaal was the one guy that forced me to simply go to the next level. He was as deadly a marksman as I, and a tough as a… well, I can’t think of anything as tough as him to compare. I knew that I couldn’t go to his level of “badness” to beat him, and that he would always play full speed ahead. I had to beat him mentally, and I knew that if I could stay in my game, then eventually he would do something really stupid and I would get a chance to beat him. But I had to do it with skill, not trickery, as he could bury a free kick as well as I if I got sloppy. VT: What is the biggest change you have seen in the Liga over your career? Basso: I think that the biggest change is the biggest improvement. What I started, there were basically four top level teams: Transvaal, Arcadia, ALDM and us. While the four of us would seriously bloody each other, in the end it would still come down to us. Now, there are many great top level teams: Guajolotes, Templar, Dorpat, Nordheim, plus another crop that is right there ready to take the leap like Oceans Gold, Swamplandia and others. With so much rich talent at the top tier, it truly takes a great team to run the gauntlet and make it all the way. That is why I don’t see our achievement from season 12 to 17 to ever be repeated. We were the best of the best, and were great enough to catch the breaks needed to make all those runs. While it does ensure our legacy, it also bodes well for the Liga to always have such a high level of competition always at the top. VT: We are all wondering, what is next for Arthur Basso? Basso: I guess I need a challenge as big as what I have just finished. Maybe competitive mountain climbing, maybe finding a vaccine for Ebola, who knows? I think that I will be keeping close tabs on VolNation, because it has been such a huge part of my life that I won’t be able to let it go anytime soon. Team Pages *Estrella Roja *Gopher City Pippas FC *Guajolotes *Transvaal Springboks Nation and Member Pages *VolNation *Cataduanes Free State *Gopherbashi *Transvaal (Botha) Category:Liga Mundo Category:Soccer